News and Information from Bond Buyer

The panel discussion will provide an outlook for the housing sector in the year ahead as well as highlight some of the most pressing issues facing the housing market in Texas.

Due to a rise in global awareness of ESG factors, socially responsible bond issuances have grown rapidly over the past decade, and will their popularity continue to expand? In this session, we will explore: (1) Will the municipal sector embrace the global trend toward greater transparency in financing public infrastructure assets; and (2) How will investors evaluate the qualitative environmental credentials of these projects relative to other green fixed-income investments? (3) As the area gains momentum and investors demand ESG designations for their portfolios, how are pricing and evaluations, and the traders who use them, factoring in ESG into their models?

Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics

Join our market leaders as they present their viewpoints on the macroeconomic picture and prospects for the U.S. muni market.

Michael Ballinger, Publisher, The Bond Buyer; Leonard Jones, Managing Director - US Public Finance Group, Moody's Investors Service; Noé Hinojosa, Jr., Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Estrada Hinojosa & Co., Inc.; Lloyd Pepperl, Head of Relationship Management, Moody's Investors Service

The underwriters filed a defense to the court earlier this month and analysts are skeptical of MBIA’s chances of prevailing.

During this panel discussion, our experts will give a recap of the developments in the last legislative session. Additionally, they will identify what the pressure points are as well as legislative priorities for the state and their impact on Texas public finance in the upcoming year. Senate bill 19 and 13 Revenue and economic development Public initiatives and housing Resilience planning

The infrastructure law brings $550 billion to the municipal finance market. Our panelists will discuss how the market can integrate the infrastructure dollars to bolster the broader municipal industry. A portion of the discussion will focus on the bill's impact on the Texas market specifically.

The massive snowstorm that hit Texas in February 2021 brought to light the state's unique energy challenges. It also gave the rest of the country a glimpse of the trouble that climate change could bring for power grids all over the U.S. As climate change accelerates, many electric grids will experience severe weather events that are well beyond the historical conditions for which they were built, which places them at risk of catastrophic failure. In this session, we will investigate the risks and solutions that will have an impact on this sector.

Using a surplus to build reserve levels was key for the outlook change, the rating agency said.

With the Federal Reserve planning aggressive rate hikes and balance sheet reduction, Dec Mullarkey, managing director of investment strategy and asset allocation at SLC Management, discusses the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes, his analysis of the economy and what to expect going forward. Gary Siegel hosts. (33 minutes)

"If you clean it, they will come," says an EPA official as new federal environmental funding helps cities revamp old industrial areas into new neighborhoods.

Triple-A yields continue to rise, with the two-year muni just below 2%, the five well above and the 10-year approaching 2.5%.

The measure would cut the number of balanced budgets needed for the island to achieve fiscal independence.

After dropping dramatically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, energy severance tax revenue is soaring along with oil and gas prices.

Independent municipal advisory firm Sycamore Advisors LLC adds veteran banker and issuer Phil Wasserman as part of its expansion.

Legislative backers of the fiscal 2023 budget approved over the weekend with Gov. J.B. Pritzker's blessing believe it will draw more positive rating actions.

Supply for the holiday-shortened week is $4.8 billion. Municipals performed the worst since 1980 in the first quarter of 2022, but some analysts see the pain subsiding.

A blackout that affected almost all of Puerto Rico Wednesday still had more than half of Puerto Rico Electric Power Agency customers without electricity Friday.

Underperforming public golf courses are an opportunity for localities to privatize, a new report says.